by Ken Rosenthal

Teixeira's agent, Scott Boras, is in deep economic discussions with interested clubs, according to a major-league source. Teixeira is almost certain to sign before Boras' other major free-agent slugger, Manny Ramirez.

It still appears doubtful that Teixeira will choose the Nationals or even his hometown Orioles when he has better options. But another Boras client, Alex Rodriguez, stunned the baseball world by joining the then-lowly Rangers as a free agent after the 2000 season.

Teixeira, 28, could justify signing with the Nationals by saying he wanted to be the face of an emerging franchise in the nation's capital. He could rationalize signing with the Orioles by saying he wanted to spark their revival at a time when the team finally is starting to develop young talent.

Once Teixeira signs, the markets for Ramirez and other free-agent sluggers such as Adam Dunn, Pat Burrell and Bobby Abreu should become clearer.

Just think: If Ramirez signs with the Yankees, he can torture the Red Sox. If he signs with the Giants, he can torture the Dodgers.

The Royals: Pros and Cons

Those who like the Royals' first two offseason moves say the team operated shrewdly by trading two relievers for two everyday players.

Those who question the Royals say that the additions of first baseman Mike Jacobs and center fielder Coco Crisp do not meet the team's stated goal of improving on-base percentage — and that both players quickly could prove too expensive.

Jacobs, 28, is expected to earn as much as $3.5 million next season in his first year of arbitration. Crisp, 29, is under contract for $5.75 million in 2009 and the Royals hold an $8 million option on him for '10.

"(Jacobs') cost has now exceeded his worth, and Coco is getting very close," one rival executive says. "That's not great for a team with limited money."

Then again, Jacobs and Crisp probably will combine to earn less than Raul Ibanez, a free agent the Royals were considering to play first base. Also, Crisp was acquired for Ramon Ramirez, who was acquired for Jorge De La Rosa, who was acquired for Tony Graffanino. That's progress.

Jacobs, coming off a 32-homer, .299 OBP season, should at least give the Royals power at first base, where they were next-to-last in the AL in home runs last season.

Crisp will enable them to move David DeJesus to move to left field, improving their defense, and spot Mark Teahen at the infield and outfield corners, improving their depth.

Most of the Royals' starters are flyball pitchers, making outfield defense critical. And while Teahen now looks like the odd man out, the Royals say just the opposite. Their preference is to use him frequently, the better to keep their regulars fresh.

Relievers Leo Nunez and Ramon Ramirez will need to be replaced, but general manager Dayton Moore comes from the Braves, a team that frequently turns over its bullpen. The Royals believe their farm system is deep enough to replenish their bullpen, and they also will consider modest free-agent additions.

Ibanez: Ready to cash in

Ibanez, coming off a two-year, $11 million contract with the Mariners, has been undervalued for virtually his entire career.

That is about to change.

Ibanez, 36, is drawing significant interest from a number of clubs, and compares favorably to the other free-agent sluggers in at least two categories.

His 338 RBIs over the past three seasons are more than the totals posted by Teixeira (336), Ramirez (311), Dunn (298) and Pat Burrell (278). Ryan Howard led the majors during that time with 431 RBIs.

Sabermetricians generally dismiss "counting" stats such as RBIs, but Ibanez played for sub-.500 Mariners teams in two of those seasons, and his home games were at pitcher-friendly Safeco Field.

Ibanez also batted .331 with runners in scoring position during that three-year period, tied with Teixeira and ahead of Ramirez (.317), Burrell (.237) and Dunn (.234). Mike Young led the majors with a .359 average over that span, according to STATS LLC.

Is Ibanez better than Ramirez or Teixeira? Of course not. He's also five years older than Burrell and seven years older than Dunn, and hits for less power.

Still, teams love Ibanez's professionalism, and one general manager predicts he will receive a three-year deal for between $8 million and $12 million per season.

The Mets' ninth-inning call

The Mets, the only high-revenue team in urgent need of a closer, are more likely to choose between free agents Francisco Rodriguez and Brian Fuentes than trade for the White Sox's Bobby Jenks, Mariners' J.J. Putz or Rockies' Huston Street.

Rodriguez, 26, is almost seven years younger than Fuentes, yet far more established as a ninth-inning performer. The Mets, however, will base their decision partly on how the market for each pitcher develops.

No team will pay Rodriguez $75 million for five years; perhaps no team should. But K-Rod has earned a major-league leading 194 saves since becoming a full-time closer in 2005. Trevor Hoffman is next with 161.

While teams fret over Rodriguez's declining strikeout rate, his increased use of a changeup should help him stay effective. While teams cite his violent delivery, he has been on the disabled list only once, with a strained right forearm in 2005.

Fuentes had a better strikeout rate and better strikeout-to-walk ratio than Rodriguez last season. He also seems to possess the moxie to succeed in any environment, including New York.

However, Fuentes has never closed in a pennant race or the postseason; he lost his job to Manny Corpas when the Rockies reached the World Series in 2007. Rodriguez, on the other hand, has pitched in the postseason five times, albeit with mixed results the last two years.

Boras: No seven-year deal for Lowe

Scott Boras, the agent for free-agent right-hander Derek Lowe, strongly disputed an item from earlier this week that quoted executives from two teams as saying he was seeking a "Barry Zito-type" contract for Lowe.

Boras made it clear on Thursday that he has not asked clubs for those terms — seven years, $126 million. Zito signed that contract before the season in which he turned 29. Lowe turns 36 on June 1.

"I have not talked to any team about a seven-year, Barry Zito contract for Derek Lowe," Boras said. "This is a classic case of baseball executives reporting information that isn't factual and not giving their names and standing behind it."

Both executives spoke on condition of anonymity.

Around the Horn

The Rangers have sold the rights to right-hander Kameron Loe to the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks in Japan, and Loe has agreed to a contract with the Hawks in the two-year, $2 million range. Loe, 27, wants to be a starter, and the Hawks will give him that opportunity. He split time between the majors and minors last season, going 3-5 with a 5.59 ERA in 26 games at Class AAA and 1-0 with a 3.23 ERA in 14 relief ...

No doubt the Mets would love to sign free-agent second baseman Orlando Hudson, but here's the problem: They already will be paying two managers, two pitching coaches and two closers next season. The only way for them to purge second baseman Luis Castillo would be to include most of his remaining salary in a trade, so they effectively would be paying two second basemen as well ...

The Astros, exploring ways to reduce payroll, could try to move shortstop Miguel Tejada, who has one year and $13 million left on his contract. Tejada can be shopped as either a shortstop or third baseman, but he had only a .314 on-base percentage last season and three home runs after the All-Star break. Closer Jose Valverde is another trade candidate — he likely will make $9 million in arbitration — but the glut of closers will reduce the demand for him in his final season before free agency ...

Left-hander Trever Miller, on the verge of signing a two-year, free- agent contract with the Cardinals, allowed the fourth lowest percentage of inherited runners to score last season (minimum 30 inherited runners). The rankings: J.P. Howell, 11.4 percent; Jason Frasor, 12.5 percent; Jonathan Papelbon, 13.3 percent; Miller, 16.2 percent ...

Free-agent shortstop Adam Everett could be a low-cost option for several clubs; the Tigers, in particular, would make sense. Tigers third-base coach Gene Lamont knows Everett from their days together with the Astros, and the Tigers are strong enough offensively to carry a light-hitting shortstop.